The ACA has
completed its review of amateur service regulation.The review commenced in August 2003 with the release for public
comment of the discussion paper, A Review of Amateur Service Regulation.

The paper outlined
the changes to Article 25 of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio
Regulations as a result of the World Radiocommunication Conference 2003
(WRC-03).It also discussed the impact
the changes have on current regulatory and licensing arrangements, and raised
possible options for the future.

Interested persons
were invited to make a written submission in response to issues raised in the
paper.In addition, the ACA held 10
public meetings in cities around Australia to discuss the proposals in the
paper.

The ACA received
over 1,300 submissions in response to the discussion paper.Following careful consideration of the
issues and the comments received, the ACA intends to make a number of changes
to the amateur service.

Notably, a new
three-tier licensing structure will be introduced.Under the new structure, existing novice and novice limited
licences will become the standard amateur licence, and unrestricted,
intermediate and limited licences will become the advanced amateur
licence.All amateur licensees will be
issued with a licence reflecting their new category.

Most of the
intended changes will need to be implemented through amendments to legislative
instruments, including remaking the Radiocommunications Licence Conditions
(Amateur Licence) Determination No.1 of 1997 (the Amateur Determination).

The changes are
intended to:

·update and
simplify regulation of the amateur service;

·improve
access to the amateur service;

·harmonise,
where possible, licence conditions and qualification requirements with those of
other countries; and

·maximise
self-regulation within the amateur service.

The ACA will also
update the Amateur Determination to make it easier to use.Changes may include indicating maximum
permitted emission bandwidths rather than listing each emission type
separately, the use of descriptive words for the emission modes, for example,
morse code, telephony, data, and rationalising transmitter power
specifications.

The outcomes of
the review are listed in the order they were raised in the discussion paper,
with the exception of the following new issues raised during the public
consultation:

1.removal of
restriction on connection of an amateur station to the public
telecommunications network;

Under current arrangements, Australia does not
prohibit communications with amateurs of other countries unless their county of
origin has a contrary view.In the
discussion paper, the ACA proposed to maintain this arrangement.The public consultation process showed
general support for this proposal.

The ACA will
continue to permit communications to amateur stations in foreign
countries.If another country seeks a
prohibition on such communications, this will be published in the Commonwealth
of AustraliaGazette.The
ACA will also directly inform the amateur community through established
communication channels.

New text in
Article 25 of the ITU Radio Regulations provides that transmissions
between amateur stations of different countries shall not be encoded for the
purpose of obscuring their meaning, except for control signals exchanged
between Earth command stations and space stations in the amateur-satellite
service.

At the public
meetings and in submissions, it was requested that encoding of transmissions be
permitted for training and operations with emergency services, particularly in
situations when personal details were being transmitted.It was also requested that encoding for
command and control signals for amateur stations be permitted, particularly for
amateur repeaters and remote unmanned amateur stations, to prevent malicious
access or damage to these stations.Some respondents asked whether the prohibition on encoding of
transmissions was necessary at all.

If encoding of
transmissions were generally permitted, it could be considered contrary to the
permitted uses of an amateur station contained in section 6 of the Amateur
Determination; in particular, the encouragement of intercommunications in the
amateur service.

The ACA will
require that transmissions between amateur stations shall not be encoded for
the purpose of obscuring their meaning, except for:

Third party
communications can currently take place only where agreements have been
established between administrations of the countries concerned.In the discussion paper, the ACA proposed to
remove the prohibition of third party communications.The public consultation process indicated support for this
proposal.

The ACA will
remove the prohibition of third party communications to an amateur station in
another country.If another country
seeks a prohibition on such communications, this will be published in the Commonwealth
of AustraliaGazette and conveyed to the amateur community through
various means.

The prohibition
will be removed when the Amateur Determination is re-made.The amateur community will be notified when
this has occurred.

Section 11 of the
Amateur Determination restricts the connection of an amateur station to a
public telecommunications network.The
restrictions apply to automated systems where there is little direct licensee
control, including an amateur repeater station, amateur beacon station,
automatic mode and computer-controlled mode.At the public meetings and in some submissions, the ACA was asked
whether this restriction was still necessary.

The restrictions
on these operations were originally put in place because, being automated, they
were not monitored.This means there is
an increased risk that this may enable an inappropriately qualified amateur, in
Australia or overseas, to gain access to privileges to which they are not
entitled.This could also enable
non-amateurs to have access, through the public telecommunications network, to
the Australian amateur bands.

The ACA has
decided to remove the current restrictions on the connection of an amateur
station to the public telecommunications network.However, it will be the responsibility of the operator of an
amateur station that is connected to minimise the possibility of non-amateurs
gaining access to amateur bands through their station, via the network.This could be done through the use of
software, hardware, and operational measures.

This is consistent
with the finding in the Productivity Commission’s Radiocommunications
Inquiry Report of July 2002, which states that changes to the Amateur
Determination to allow the use of technologies that involve the connection of
amateur stations through the Internet would not appear to undermine the
integrity of the amateur bands, or Australia’s obligations under international
agreements.

To give effect to
this decision, the ACA will not include the substance of section 11 in the
re-made Amateur Determination.The ACA
will instead include a condition that requires a licensee of an amateur station
connecting to the public telecommunications network to have appropriate
measures in place to minimise the possibility of a non‑amateur gaining
access, to the amateur bands through their station via the network.

During
consideration of this issue, the appropriateness of section 41 of the Amateur
Determination was also considered.Section 41 states:

The licensee must not operate an amateur repeater station to transmit a
signal to another amateur station if the originating station is not authorised
under its licence to use repeater output of the amateur repeater station.

Section 42 of the
Amateur Determination describes access control systems that the licensee of an
amateur repeater station must use if the repeater station uses an output that
is not on the same frequency as the input, or if the output is on a frequency
on which the originating station is not permitted to transmit a signal.

While the amateur
repeater licensee is expected to implement the requirements of section 42, it
is not possible for the licensee to guarantee compliance of the originating
amateur operator.Therefore, beyond the
requirements of section 42, the obligation to comply with the intent of section
41 will be placed on the originating amateur.One method of achieving this is to require the originating amateur to be
sufficiently aware of the operating frequencies of repeater stations and
associated access codes, and to use only those codes which give access to
frequency bands for which he or she has privileges.

Further, it is
intended to expand section 42 to address the potential for non-amateur access
to an amateur station through the Internet or the public telecommunications
network.

Changes to Article
25 of the ITU Radio Regulations provided the ACA with the opportunity to
remove the morse code proficiency requirement to operate in bands below 30
MHz.In the discussion paper, the ACA
proposed to do so.

Feedback at the
public meetings, as well as initial analysis of submissions, indicated
overwhelming support for the proposal.

After considering
the feedback, the ACA discontinued the mandatory morse code proficiency
requirement to operate in bands below 30 MHz for the amateur service.

The ACA amended
the Amateur Determination as an interim measure to implement this decision. The amendments give:

·holders of
intermediate and limited amateur licences access to the same frequency bands
and modes as unrestricted amateur licensees; and

·holders of
the novice limited amateur licence access to the same frequency bands and modes
as novice licensees.

The arrangements
came into force on 1 January 2004.

As part of the new
amateur licensing structure (see 13), the ACA will remove the mandatory morse
code proficiency requirement from the syllabus in all amateur qualifications.

Article 25 of the
ITU Radio Regulations provides that administrations shall verify that
persons wishing to operate an amateur station are qualified to do so, and
refers to Recommendation ITU-R M.1544 for guidance for standards of
competence.ITU-R M.1544 recommends
that persons seeking an amateur licence should demonstrate theoretical
knowledge of the ITU Radio Regulations, methods of radiocommunication,
radio system theory, radio emission safety, electromagnetic compatibility, and
avoidance and resolution of radiofrequency interference.

In the discussion
paper, the ACA proposed to continue to verify to operational and technical
qualifications of any person wishing to operate an amateur station, in
accordance with Article 25.

The public
consultation process indicated support for this proposal.

The ACA will
continue to verify the operational and technical qualifications of any person
wishing to operate an amateur station.

The Amateur
Determination provides for emitted frequency and maximum power privileges for
each amateur licensing option.In the
discussion paper, the ACA proposed to continue to impose limits on the purity
and stability of emitted frequencies, and maximum power limits on amateur
stations in accordance with the ITU’s requirements for transmitting stations.

The public
consultation process showed support for this proposal.

The ACA will
continue to impose limits on the purity and stability of emitted frequencies,
and maximum power limits on amateur stations in accordance with the ITU's
requirements for transmitting stations.

The ITU
requirements have been incorporated into the ACA policy information paper Amateur
Operating Procedures (on the ACA website at
www.aca.gov.au/aca_home/publications/reports/info/regs.htm), and will be
included in the re-made Amateur Determination.

At the public
meetings and in approximately ten percent of submissions, requests were made to
increase the permitted maximum transmitter output power for amateur stations to
1,500 watts peak envelope power (PEP) for the unrestricted licence.At present, a holder of an unrestricted
licence is permitted to transmit with a maximum peak power of 400 watts using
certain emission modes, and 120 watts mean power for all other emission modes.

Amateur operators
can currently apply to the ACA to transmit on powers above 400 watts by way
of a special condition attached to their licence.Amateurs can also be issued with a scientific licence to operate
outside amateur bands.

As a general rule,
the maximum transmitter output power permitted under the unrestricted licensing
option should remain at 400 watts PEP.This takes into account:

·that
permitting the use of 1500 watts PEP in urban locations under all unrestricted
licensees will significantly increase the potential for interference;

·that the use
of 400 watts PEP meets the requirements of most amateurs for effective
communications;

·that the use
of 1,500 watts PEP in urban locations will, in most circumstances, result in
the electromagnetic radiation (EMR) exceeding the reference level for general
public exposure.The use of 400 watts
PEP also exceeds that level in some circumstances; and

·public
sensitivity to EMR issues.

The current system
allows the ACA to keep track of amateurs who are operating at higher powers for
compliance and interference investigation purposes.Many amateurs may be unaware that they can apply to the ACA to
operate on higher powers.The ACA will
publish information about how to apply in due course.

The section of Article
25 that sets out the requirement for amateur stations to use callsigns was not
changed by WRC-03.In the discussion
paper, the ACA proposed to maintain existing arrangements regarding the use of
a callsign.

The public
consultation process showed general support for this proposal.It was also asked whether different
arrangements for the use of callsigns by amateur operators could be permitted
while training or operating with emergency services.

The ACA will
maintain current requirements for use of a callsign while operating an amateur
station for normal use, as contained in sections 8, 37 and 44 of the Amateur
Determination.

After consultation
with the Wireless Institute Civil Emergency Network (WICEN) NSW Inc., the ACA
has decided to permit less frequent use of callsigns for amateur operators
participating in training and operations with emergency services.In a network of amateur operators
participating in emergency service operations or training, the ACA will require
that at least one station in the network must transmit their full callsign at a
minimum interval of 30 minutes, but preferably every 10 minutes, for the
duration of the transmission.

To give effect to
this decision, the ACA will include a condition in the re-made Amateur
Determination permitting this arrangement.

The discussion
paper stated that in the event of a natural disaster, amateur operators have
four options:

·operation as
per normal under the Amateur Determination;

·operation in
amateur bands using high power authorised by a special condition on the amateur
licence;

·operation
outside of amateur bands authorised by a scientific licence; or

·operation
using a third party authorisation with, for example, ambulance, fire or police
emergency services.

The ACA proposed
to make no changes to current regulatory arrangements for amateur
communications during a natural disaster.

During the public
consultation process, it was requested that these options should apply to all
disasters, not just natural disasters.It was also asked whether it could be permitted to encode transmissions
for operations and training with emergency services (see outcome in section 2).

The ACA will apply
the above options to all disasters rather than just natural disasters.The ACA will not make any other changes to
current regulatory arrangements for amateur communications during disasters,
with the exception of the outcomes in sections 2 and 9 of this document.

Australia
participates in European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications
Administrations (CEPT) Recommendation T/R 61-02, where participating countries
recognise Australian amateur qualifications and licences and we recognise
theirs.On request, reciprocal
Australian licences are issued to visiting overseas amateurs and, similarly,
reciprocal CEPT licences are issued to visiting Australian amateurs when they
travel.

In the discussion
paper, the ACA sought comments on the possibility of Australia participating in
CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-01, in addition to T/R 61-02.This recommendation provides for:

·Australian
amateurs to operate an amateur station while visiting any country that has
implemented CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-01, without having to obtain an
individual temporary licence from the country being visited; and

·overseas
amateurs visiting Australia, who hold a licence issued by a country that has
implemented CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-01, to operate in Australia without
having to obtain an individual temporary licence.

The adoption of T/R 61-01 in Australia would require the ACA to create
a class licence for these overseas amateurs.

The public
consultation process showed support for participation in T/R 61-01.

In mid-2004, the
ACA will begin liaison with CEPT and development of the licensing arrangements
necessary for Australia to participate in T/R 61-01.The ACA expects the new arrangements to come into force in early
2005.

As a result of the
removal of the mandatory morse code proficiency requirement to operate in bands
below 30 MHz (see section 5), there is no longer any practical reason to have
five amateur licensing options.In the
discussion paper, the ACA proposed to combine the unrestricted, intermediate
and limited licences into one licence, and the novice and novice limited
licences into one licence.

The paper also
raised the possibility of introducing a new entry-level licensing option in
Australia, similar to the foundation licence in the United Kingdom (UK).The discussion paper sought comments on
three possible combinations of licensing options, depending on whether a foundation
licence is introduced and whether the novice licence is continued:

·unrestricted
and novice licensing options;

·unrestricted
and foundation licensing options; or

·unrestricted,
novice and foundation licensing options.

Public
consultation

Over two-thirds of
all submissions were in favour of the introduction of a foundation licensing
option.In summary:

·The most
common reason given for the support was the need to make the amateur service
more accessible to potential amateurs, who they believed found the existing
novice theory examination too difficult.

·Many
submissions cited the foundation licence recently introduced in the UK as being
of about the appropriate standard.

·A high
percentage of submissions supported the use of only commercially manufactured
radiocommunications equipment for foundation licensees.

·Many
respondents suggested that foundation licences should not be renewed without
the licensee being re-examined.

·The majority
of respondents suggested that the maximum transmitter output power should be
100 watts PEP.

·These bands
were suggested based on the reasoning that access should not be granted to
bands or band segments where inexperienced licensees could easily cause
interference to other amateur operators or other services.

·Many
respondents also suggested that only telephony and hand-sent telegraphy be
permitted.

A small percentage
of submissions were opposed to the introduction of a foundation licensing
option, and were in favour of a two-tier licensing structure consisting of an
unrestricted licensing option and a novice licensing option.The majority considered that an amalgamation
of the five existing licensing options into two levels, taking into account the
removal of morse code, was the only change necessary.This group also considered that the introduction of a licensing
option requiring lower qualifications than the existing novice licensing option
would result in a general decline of the amateur service.

Licensing
structure

Thirty-nine
percent of all submissions were in favour of a two-tier licensing structure,
consisting of an unrestricted licensing option and a foundation licensing
option.In summary:

·The majority
of respondents generally supported the arguments put by the Wireless Institute
of Australia (WIA) in its submission.

·The WIA
considers that a two-tier licence structure would be easier to administer than
a three-tier structure.

·The majority
believed that the examination required to obtain a novice qualification had
become more complex over time, such that there was now little difference in the
knowledge required for the novice and unrestricted qualifications.They argued that existing novice and novice
limited licensees should be granted an unrestricted licence.

·However, a
few respondents did not agree with this.They suggested instead that the novice licensing option should remain in
place for existing novice and novice limited licensees, but should no longer be
issued, which would phase out the novice licence over time.

Twenty-four
percent of all submissions were in favour of a three-tier licensing structure,
consisting of unrestricted, novice and foundation licensing options.In summary:

·The majority
of respondents commonly supported the arguments submitted by a group titled
‘CQVK’[1].

·One of the
main arguments for a three-tier structure was that the gap between the
knowledge required for the foundation licence and that for the unrestricted
licence is so large that, if there were only two tiers, it would be a
disincentive to foundation licensees to upgrade their qualifications.

·The majority
of respondents also considered that the extent of the knowledge gap between a
novice qualification and an unrestricted qualification did not justify
unrestricted licences being issued to those with novice qualifications.

On balance and
after careful consideration of submissions, the ACA has decided to introduce a
foundation-style amateur licence, to form part of a three-tier licensing
structure.This licence will reflect
the general nature of the UK foundation licence, although it will be adapted to
suit Australian preferences.

The ACA will also
combine the current unrestricted, intermediate and limited licensing options
into one licensing option, and the current novice and novice limited licensing
options into one licensing option.

More detailed
information about the proposed arrangements for each licensing option is in
Appendix A.

Foundation
amateur licence

The foundation
licence will be the entry level to the amateur service.It will allow a level of operational
experiences without requiring the technical knowledge needed to obtain a
licence to operate a standard station.

The form for this licence and the means for obtaining
it will be modelled on the UK foundation licence.In summary:

·The
examination for the necessary qualification will place emphasis on the safe
operation of amateur radio equipment.It will comprise a practical element involving the operation of
transmitters and receivers, and a multiple-choice examination paper covering
safety, operational and regulatory issues.

·A certificate
of proficiency will be issued to persons, of any age, who successfully contest
the examination and complete the practical elements.

·Attendance at
a training course will not be mandatory.

·Given the
limited technical knowledge required to obtain the licence, to minimise
interference to other radiocommunications services, the licence:

-mandates the
use of commercially manufactured equipment;

-allows voice
and morse code modes only;

-limits
operation to 10 watts PEP;

-limits
spectrum access in the 420–450 MHz band; and

-makes no
provision for spectrum access in the 1.8 and 50 MHz bands.

·spectrum
access will generally be limited to encourage licensees to further develop
their knowledge and skills to advance to higher levels of operation.

In deciding to
permit a maximum transmitter power of 10 watts PEP, the ACA has followed the UK
model for its foundation licence.Although the majority of submissions suggested that a maximum
transmitter power of 100 watts PEP should be permitted, it was considered that
the need to limit the occurrence of interference and exposure to EMR, in
circumstances where licensees are required to possess little technical
knowledge, far outweighed the claimed operational advantages provided by
allowing the use of 100 watts PEP.The
claim that 100 watts PEP should be permitted on the basis that commercially
manufactured 10 watts PEP equipment is not available was not accepted.At least three models are available that are
known to meet this specification.

In keeping with
the existing arrangements allowing any qualified person to be issued with an
amateur licence, it was decided not to introduce an age limit for operating
under the foundation licensing option.

The main argument
for requiring foundation licensees to be re-examined regularly was to promote
the licence as a ‘stepping stone’ to amateur radio operation and to encourage
licensees to develop their skills and upgrade their qualifications.Section 123 of the Radiocommunications
Act 1992 (the Act) provides that where there are reasonable grounds to
believe that a qualified operator would be unable to achieve satisfactory
results in an examination referred to in paragraph 122(1)(b) of the Act (such
as an amateur examination), the ACA can request the operator be
re-examined.However, the ACA considers
it unreasonable to use this power to re-examine foundation licensees
regularly.There is no apparent reason
why a foundation licensee could not remain at their current level of
qualification.None of the current
amateur licensing options requires an operator to be re-examined regularly.

Suggestions
calling for a foundation qualification and licence to be a prerequisite for
obtaining a higher grade of amateur licence were not agreed with.Although the foundation licence is a
suitable means for people with limited technical knowledge to access the
amateur service, it was considered that people who have greater technical
knowledge should be allowed to contest higher level qualifications directly.

Similarly,
although recognising the value of training courses, making attendance at
training courses of this nature mandatory is considered inappropriate given the
potentially large distances candidates may need to travel.

Three tier
structure

The standard of
the novice theory examination may have become a little more complex with the
introduction of new material from time to time.However, on investigation, the syllabus for the novice theory
examination remains significantly different in content and required depth of
knowledge to the syllabus for the unrestricted theory examination.The ACA would not be justified in permitting
holders of novice qualifications to operate unrestricted stations.

Given that the
qualification necessary for the proposed foundation licence requires little
technical knowledge, the ACA accepts the argument that the gap between the
foundation and advanced licences could discourage many foundation licensees
from developing their skills and knowledge.

It is considered
that a three-tier licence structure is more appropriate to the ongoing vitality
of the amateur service.While
recognising that a two-tier licensing structure would be simpler to administer
than a three-tier structure, is the ACA does not accept that this outweighs the
disadvantages resulting from the knowledge and skill gap between the licences
in a two-tier system.

The smaller steps
in a three-tier licensing structure:

·provide
incentive to upgrade knowledge and skills;

·allow for
manageable study programs; and

·deliver
stepped access to increased privileges.

The introduction of the new licensing options means
that the syllabus for the existing novice and unrestricted qualifications needs
to be updated.The syllabus for each of
the new licensing options will:

The discussion
paper presented two possible approaches to licensing Australian amateur
stations:

(a)continue under the apparatus licensing
regime; or

(b)authorise amateur stations, other than
beacons and repeaters, under a class licence.

Many respondents
believed that none of the available licence types—apparatus, class or
spectrum—were suitable for the amateur service.However, they recognised that the Act precluded the issue of any
other type of licence.While some
respondents suggested that the amateur service should be authorised under a
class licence, the majority considered apparatus licensing more
appropriate.Some expressed concern
that class licensing would result in a general decline in the standard of the
amateur service.Much of the support
for the class licence was based on the fact that no annual licence fee would be
required.

The ACA has
decided to continue to use apparatus licensing for managing Australian amateur
operators at this point in time.

Amateur station
callsigns need to meet the requirements set out in Article 19 of the ITU Radio
Regulations.Article 19 was amended
at WRC-03 to give more flexibility to the callsign template.The discussion paper sought comments on the
possibility of changing the Australian amateur callsign template to reflect the
revised Article 19, and reviewed other amateur callsign arrangements.

Few submissions
commented on callsign arrangements.Of
those that did, the majority suggested that the present structure of amateur
callsigns should be retained.The
current practice of having callsigns that denote the type of amateur licence
and the state where the station is usually located provides useful information
for propagation and self-regulation.

The ACA will leave
current callsign arrangements as they are, with the exception of the
introduction of four-letter callsigns from 2005.Some rearrangement of callsign blocks will be required when the
new licensing options are introduced.

The discussion
paper offered the possibility for an amateur registration body (ARB) to manage
amateur examinations, certificates and callsigns (and, if class licensing were
to proceed, station location information).Examination management is currently delegated to the WIA.

The majority of
submissions that commented on the possible outsourcing of administrative
matters were in favour of the suggestion and considered that any outsourced
functions should be handled by a non-profit organisation.Some respondents objected to outsourcing in
any form, and there was considerable support for no additional outsourcing.

The ACA has
decided to proceed with the outsourcing of amateur certificates and callsign
management.Outsourcing the issue of
certificates is consistent with the recommendation made in the Productivity
Commission’s Radiocommunications Inquiry Report that the ACA delegate
the conferring of certificates of proficiency for amateurs.

More information
about outsourcing of amateur certificates and callsign management will be
published on the ACA website later this year.

The discussion paper proposed a ‘no interference’
policy for amateur operators.This
would mean that if an amateur were found to be causing interference to another
radiocommunications service, the obligation would be on the amateur to resolve
the problem.

The public
consultation process showed almost universal, often very strong, disagreement
with the ‘no interference’ proposal.Some submissions only commented on the ‘no interference’ proposal.

The ACA has
decided to introduce interference management arrangements that build on those
presently in use, rather than the ‘no interference’ policy proposed in the
discussion paper.

Information about
the respective responsibilities for resolving interference of amateurs and
those affected by interference is presently documented in the ACA’s
publications Interference from CB and Amateur Transmitters and Apparatus
Licensing: Amateur Operating Procedures.

It is proposed
that the responsibilities of those affected by interference and the ACA’s
method of dealing with interference will be published as an Advisory Guideline[2]
under the Act.The ACA intends to
document the responsibilities of amateurs for resolving interference as
conditions in the Amateur Determination.This proposal is consistent with the recommendations of the Productivity
Commission's Radiocommunications Inquiry Report of July 2002.That report recommended that the ACA, in
consultation with industry, should develop guidelines that outline the
principles for managing interference disputes.

The ACA is also
considering making a guideline under section 112 of the Act about how it might
exercise its powers to apply additional conditions to amateur licences for
unresolved interference.

An amateur
Internet linking system (AILS) connects amateur operators in Australia and
overseas using the Internet.Amateur
operators can connect to an AILS through an amateur station or by other means,
such as a computer with Internet access.In October 2002, the ACA published a consumer fact sheet about
regulatory requirements applying to AILS.

The discussion
paper sought comments on the clarity of the policy contained in the fact sheet.

Few submissions
commented on this issue.Some
respondents found the policy to be quite clear, while others found the policy
confusing or unclear.

The ACA will
update the AILS consumer fact sheet to reflect changes to third party
communications and restrictions on connection to the public telecommunications
network arrangements, among other, minor, amendments.

Only unmodified
transmitting equipment of commercial manufacture is permitted.

Antenna
experimentation is permitted.

May construct
any parts of the station.

Access to
two-letter callsigns if available.

Translation
of present licensing options

New level

Novice
Novice limited

Unrestricted
Intermediate
Limited

[1] CQVK submitted an 87-page response authored by three amateur
operators.CQVK also conducted surveys
during 2003 on issues raised in the ACA discussion paper, and used this
research to base arguments in their submission.CQVK received support for its submission from many other amateur
operators and amateur clubs.

[2]
Section 262 of the Act provides
that ‘The ACA may make written advisory guidelines about any aspect of radiocommunications
or radio emissions’.